The present invention relates to a wiring system used to provide electricity to individual work spaces created by a plurality of partitions subdividing an office area.
Open office space is typically partitioned to be used efficiently. By using a plurality of office panels or partitions, valuable space can be divided into individual cubicles providing employees with their own work spaces. The office panels are generally rectangular and may be provided with decorative surfaces. Each panel is provided with fasteners along the side edges which allow several adjacent panels to be attached to one another in orientations such as end to end or perpendicularly to one another.
Each panel is provided with a raceway which extends the length of each panel and is used to support a wiring system. The raceway may be located along the lower edge of the panel or near the middle of the panel at a height above the upper surface of a work surface such as a desk top. The wiring system is used to electrically connect adjacent panels while providing each panel with electricity. The wiring system includes receptacles mounted on a distribution harness (FIGS. 4 and 5) which, when supplied with electricity, provides each individual work station with receptacles for electrically operated equipment such as computers, lamps or the like. The receptacles are conventionally duplex receptacles in that each receptacle is provided with a pair of outlets.
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, one method of supplying electrical receptacles 40 to a plurality of individual work stations defined by office panels includes the use of buss or distribution harness 38. Each end of distribution harness 38 is provided with connector 44 having a plurality of openings for receiving the socket ends of the receptacles 40, jumper cables and power entry. Electrical current is supplied to the wiring system from either a ceiling power entry 61, which would plug into one outlet of a receptacle, or a floor power entry 61, which is plugged into connector 44 secured to one end 43 of distribution harness 38 (FIG. 5). From power entry 61, the electrical current travels through distribution harness 38 to receptacles 40.
Receptacles 40 are electrically connected to distribution harness 38 which carries a plurality of jacketed wires or buss bars which are constructed from stamped metal (not shown). Distribution harness 38 typically carries eight or ten wires (although the present invention is not so limited) with each receptacle 40 being electrically connected to a ground wire, a neutral wire and a hot wire, the three wires defining a circuit. If desired, each receptacle 40 attached to harness 38 may be electrically connected to the same ground and neutral wires, however, receptacles 40 may be connected to different hot wires to define a second circuit. The first receptacle 40 is in engagement with connector 44 located at one end of distribution harness 38 and is connected to a combination of three wires of a first circuit. The second receptacle 40, plugged into connector 44 at the opposite end of distribution harness 38, may be electrically connected to the same or a second combination of three wires of a second circuit. By placing two receptacles on two separate circuits, overloading of a single circuit is prevented if, for example, more than one piece of equipment was plugged into receptacles 40 on that single circuit.
Distribution harness 38 is provided with elongated body portion 42 having ends 43. One connector 44 is integrally attached to elongated body 42 at each end 43 (FIG. 5) and connectors 44 include sockets 46 having openings 47, one pair of sockets protruding from each side of connector 44. Socket 46 of connector 44 electrically connects with socket 48 located at one end of receptacle 40 while one socket 49 at the end of jumper cable 50 is electrically linked to socket 47 of connector 44 to define a pathway for electrical current between receptacle 40, connector 44 and jumper cable 50. One receptacle 40 is electrically attached to each socket 46 of connector 44 such that receptacles 40 may be mounted adjacent one another. A pair of receptacles 40 may be placed in one office panel being spaced the length of distribution harness 38. One socket 49 of jumper cable 50 is secured to socket 47 of connector 44 while the second socket 49 of cable 50 is secured to a socket of a second connector disposed on distribution harness 38 in an adjacent office panel, thereby allowing distribution harnesses 38 of adjacent office panels to be electrically connected (FIG. 4).
Once receptacles 40 are electrically joined with connectors 44, receptacles 40 are secured to brackets 52 which are in turn fixed to distribution harness 38 (FIG. 5). Tabs 54 extending from receptacle housing 56 are provided with apertures 58 which align with apertures 60 in brackets 52. Fasteners are placed through aligned apertures 58 and 60, securing receptacles 40 to buss or harness 38. A plurality of wires or stamped buss bars (not shown) extend the length of distribution harness 38 between connectors 44. All eight or ten wires are carried through connectors 44 to form contacts (not shown). Each receptacle 40 includes three wires (not shown) extending through receptacle 40, connecting with connectors which align with each opening of the outlets in receptacle 40. These wires have contacts at each end which provide means for electrically connecting to different combinations of ground, neutral and hot wires in connector 44. By having each receptacle 40 associated with a separate circuit, overloading of a single circuit is prevented.
A problem with the current wiring system is the cost of the distribution harness. The distribution harness is a relatively large component of the system which requires that the raceway disposed at the bottom of the office panel be large enough to support the assembly. This adds to the cost of manufacturing and assembling the office panels when the wiring system is installed. Further, the size of the distribution harness limits the number of receptacles to two in each panel. The distribution harness is an expensive component of the wiring assembly which in turn increases the overall expense of supplying electricity to a plurality of work stations in an office. The assembly of the distribution harness assembly is time consuming due to the number of parts which must be assembled which again increases the cost of manufacturing. Furthermore, outlets in a duplex receptacle must be on the same circuit.
It is desired to provide a wiring assembly for providing office panels with a plurality of receptacles which eliminates the need for a distribution harness while being cost effective and easy to assemble.
The present invention relates to a wiring assembly for office panels in which the wires conventionally carried by the distribution harness are carried directly by the receptacle, thus eliminating the buss or distribution harness. The receptacle is preferably plugged into a quad connector and the wiring system is supplied power by a typical ceiling or floor power entry. Each receptacle picks off three wires from the eight or ten wires carried by the receptacle to provide the receptacle with electrical power. The receptacles may be wired to one circuit or a plurality of circuits to a partitioned area depending on how the area is being utilized. A jumper cable links one end of the first receptacle to one end of a second receptacle. The receptacles are wired in different circuits by being electrically connected to a different combination of three wires.
If desired, each outlet in a duplex or larger receptacle could be connected to a different circuit.
The advantages of eliminating the distribution harness include reducing the size of the wiring assembly as well as the cost of the assembly. The installation time required for placing the electrical assembly within the raceways of a plurality of office panels has also been reduced, which in turn lowers the expense of manufacturing. By wiring each receptacle or each outlet to be on a specific circuit, a work space may be provided with any number of circuits, from one to four in each panel depending on the needs of the office area.